CHINA made a fresh effort yesterday to prove its commitment to food safety by releasing a policy paper that highlights improved inspections and by putting a vice premier in charge of a quality control campaign.

The white paper, issued by the Cabinet's Information Office, listed a series of achievements and planned measures, from establishing a national food recall system to increasing exchanges with quality inspectors in other countries.

One improvement was that 89.2 percent of food products nationwide passed quality checks in the first six months of 2007.

"China is a responsible country," said the 29-page white paper. "The Chinese government has stepped up active measures in enhancing food quality and ensuring food safety to protect the interests of consumers in both China and other countries."

Also yesterday, Vice Premier Wu Yi was appointed to head a previously announced Cabinet-level panel to oversee product quality and food safety.

According to the white paper, China exported 24 million tons of food last year to more than 200 countries, 13 percent more than in the same period in 2005. Seafood, vegetables and canned goods were among the most popular products, it said. Japan, the US and South Korea were the three biggest importers.

"For years, over 99 percent of China's food exports have been up to standard," the paper said.

"After much effort, the level of China's food quality on the whole is steadily rising, food safety conditions are improving nonstop, and the order behind food production and sales is getting significantly better," it said.

This is due to a quality control system that covers all major food exports of the country, it said.

"Yet, there are still a tiny number of enterprises that disregard the law, regulations of China and importing countries," it said. "Consequently, some adulterated, counterfeit or shoddy foodstuffs have found their way into foreign markets."

The paper outlined measures to protect food quality including increased random inspections, widespread closures of unlicensed manufacturers and restaurants, large-scale seizures of substandard goods and implementing a national recall system.

The Chinese government will adopt tougher measures to guarantee that no substandard food is exported overseas by improving surveillance in all steps of the production process and blacklisting violators, the paper said.

Li Changjiang, head of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said recent reports of food safety problems have not depressed exports.